Panasonic shows MZ2000 OLED TV and claims higher peak brightness due to micro lenses
Panasonic unveils the MZ2000, the upcoming top model of the OLED TVs that the manufacturer will release this year. Just like its predecessor LZ2000, the new model is available in 55, 65 and 77 inches. The company says that the MZ2000 achieves a higher peak brightness, partly by using micro lenses.
In the press release, Panasonic claims a peak brightness that is 150 percent higher compared to last year’s models, although it is not entirely clear to which model that 150 percent would apply. The manufacturer also reports that the average brightness has also been improved, but no percentages are mentioned. The increased brightness will probably be most noticeable in the 55 and 65 inch sizes, as only those sizes have a ‘multi-layer thermal management system’. Presumably that is some kind of heatsink; the LZ2000 already has this.
Only such a system to dissipate heat more quickly is insufficient to really make a leap in terms of brightness. To this end, the MZ2000 is also equipped with a micro lens array. This technology uses small lenses that ensure that the light emitted by the OLEDs is focused more efficiently, with light that normally bounces back and forth within the panel being sent directly to the viewer. The overall brightness should improve considerably. Power consumption could also be reduced, which would benefit the lifespan of the panel. Presumably more OLED TV manufacturers are using these micro lenses, as LG probably does with the G3.
The website FlatpanelsHD shows that the MZ2000 achieves a brightness of 1466cd/m² during a Panasonic presentation with a window of 10 percent of the total image area. It is not clear whether this was achieved in the Vivid image mode, which usually does not lead to the most beautiful or accurate images, but does lead to the highest brightness. In addition, the demonstration showed that the new television could maintain brightness above 1000cd/m² on larger areas than the 10 percent windows compared to last year’s LZ2000. That LZ2000 achieves approximately 1000cd/m² and 1200cd/m² in Vivid mode.
The MZ2000 is a 4k OLED TV that supports all common HDR formats and HDMI 2.1, although the use of Dolby Vision is still limited to 4k60 and the filmmaker mode now takes the environment into account. According to the manufacturer, the television can better detect the color temperature of the ambient light and the amount of ambient light and adjust the image on the television accordingly. In a lot of light, dark tones become brighter and in warm ambient light the color temperature will be lowered.
Panasonic also says that the performance of the Dolby Atmos speaker system has been improved, including three so-called Sound Focus modes that allow the sound to be focused on a single point, or to a specific part of the room, or the sound is amplified at some point while others can still hear the sound.
The MZ2000 will receive version 8.0 of the My Home Screen OS and will be released in Europe sometime in the fall of this year. It is not yet clear what price tag the new model will receive. Panasonic will also introduce lower-positioned new OLED TVs at a later date.